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Based on Apriori algorithm, establish a method for mining the medical empirical formula. Procedures and Methods: input the 1,632 medical records of Chen Shouqiang, Associate Chief Physician, into the electronic medical records management system; mine the high-frequency combination of traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of coronary heart disease via the Apriori algorithm; take the combination with most kinds of herbal medicines as the motherboard, and then add Chinese medicine different from what included in the top N groups of high-frequency combinations of traditional Chinese medicine; thus we can sum up the empirical formula. Results: the empirical formula mined consists of 12 herbs (i.e. rhizome of Ligusticum wallichii, salvia miltiorrhiza, tuber of dwarf lilyturf, Costustoot, licorice Roots Northwest Origin, Schisandra chinensis, Coptis chinensis, Scutellaria baicalensis, charred triplet, fructus forsythiae, cuttlebone and radix astragali), which is similar with the chest stuffiness No. 2 formula commonly used in clinic. Conclusion: This method has some significance in the experience heritage of distinguished veteran doctors of TCM, and it is worth promoting.

Purpose: To investigate the proliferative activity and neuroprotective effect of a newly identified ligustrazine derivative (4-((3,5,6-trimethylpyrazine-2 yl)methoxyl)-3-methox-ybenzoic acid-3,5,6- trimethylpyrazin- 2-methyl ester, T VA) and the possible mechanism related to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in cerebral ischemic injury. Methods: The pharmacological activity of T-VA was evaluated using MTT ((3 (4,5-dimethylthiazolyl2- yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide)) assay, while cellular morphology was observed with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. Chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model, immuno-histochemical analysis, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to determine the expression of VEGF. Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model was used to investigate both VEGF expression and the survival rate after treatment with T-VA. Results: T-VA promoted neuron activity, and the doses of 15 and 30 μM showed more significant effect (p < 0.05). The viability of PC12 cells increased significantly in T-VA (30 and 60 μM) groups (p < 0.05) and increased in a dose dependent manner. Immunohistochemical analysis showed stimulated VEGF expression, and CAM model results showed that T-VA (20 mg/egg) significantly promoted microangiogenesis (p < 0.01). Moreover, in MCAO model, the survival rate of T-VA (60 mg/kg) group reached 86.7 % while for the ischemia group it was 60.0 %. In addition, ELISA results showed that T-VA promoted the expression of VEGF (p < 0.05). Conclusion: These findings indicate that T-VA helps to prevent ischemic injury by increasing VEGF expression. Keywords: Ligustrazine, Neuron, PC12 cell, Chick Chorioallantoic Membrane, Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor